What’s up comrades, how has your week gone? Any gripes? Any boasting? Anything you wish to share?
Yes, I am aware I am a day early… but considered the times I was late I figured it was a fair trade off.
Also I wanted to show off my new, in-process, weight plates.
8x 10lbs
2x 15lbs, 30lbs, and 35lbs
Final touch ups will be done with epoxy and BBs to get the final weights more exact but they need to cure for a few weeks to a month before I go doing that.
I did really good this week. Got all my sets in. Bench and deadlift are taking their time getting back up to power but squats and overhead presses doing great. Could probably build my bench and deadlifts better but I didn’t eat well first couple days due to stress from dealing with my job situation. But trying my best to not let that keep me from working out.
After starting to do running and liking it, I figured I might as well add some other odd things to my routine. So I started doing pull ups for now. Started of slowly with 3x8 but it was still pretty easy to do, so I might need to find a way to spice things up. I did feel pretty sore the day after and today lol.
I’m off to the gym now for a chest, tricep and shoulder session. Going to try dumbbell bench press of 28kg, my goal of reaching 30kg is getting closer and closer.
I can see how being self conscious about your body can have a negative impact on going to the gym. I can see myself getting bigger, stronger and fitter, but there’s always a little voice in my head saying it needs to be even more, even bigger etc. I catch myself looking at the big guys at the gym and thinking: ‘I need to be on their level’, despite not even wanting to be a body builder. Luckily I can turn that shit off for myself and feel good again. The gym is not a good representation of general society and I know I’m fitter than probably 90% of the people I see in my daily life. But still, spending a lot of time in the gym, being busy with healthy food and physical education, compared with how toxic online fitness culture is, it can sometimes be tough on the mind.
Cool setup though. Whenever I have a bigger place I would love to build my own home gym as well. Had one at my parents’ house during lockdown and working out at home was pretty neat.
Chest day went okay-ish. The 28kg worked but I managed to injure myself on the incline press. I didn’t do an abnormally heavy lift. I held the dumbbells in the air for a few seconds before the start of the set to mentally prepare myself and all of a sudden my right shoulder went: ‘nope, I’m out’ and stopped functioning.
Nevertheless I finished the set and the workout without problems but now my shoulder hurts like a mofo.
I think I can move to the next phase of training, maybe get a deload in next week first though.
Been doing lower weight higher reps on pull ups since maybe late January without much pain. 3x10 (+10 lbs) and 3x10 (+10 lbs) one arm assisted. Sometimes I go into the 12 rep range.
The bar in my house is so low to the ground though so the resistance is much higher despite the lower weight, because I have to keep my legs under me and the core isn’t activated in this way.
Feels like I’ve been doing maybe 25 to 35 lbs added and this confirmed when I do them at the gym with a proper bar height.
This has gotten me with a surplus of calories from 164 to 170 lbs. From here we go to a 4x5 weighted routine for pull ups and I haven’t decided what do to for one arm assisted. I think it will be something quick like 2x10-12 weighted to reduce the load. So most of the work should come from the 4x5 with the 2x10 to maintain (although we will probably still gain in this lift too).
I think this new strength routine will continue until I hit a plateau for 2 or 3 weeks upon which I will immediately drop the routine and deload for a week, and then return to 3x10s.
Progress will be measured of course by numbers but also by explosiveness (which I am also training separately) which I can see visually by video and also feel physically.
I have also been doing stretching and recovery nearly every day. Takes only 10-20 mins, usually closer to 10. Just take the muscles through their full rom with little resistance until you have a tiny pump, and stretch everything out. The tendons will have so much more longevity doing this.
One arm pull ups weighted, what a beast! I will preach the use of Olympic rings for pull ups to anybody who will listen, they are a game changer. I’m not sure if you do inverted rows but I recommend them for extra back volume and hitting your lats and upper back from a different angle.
Not real OAP yet lol! That will come again in time. Just assisted with a foot on the ground and adding extra weight in a backpack. It’s a great lift though for the proper one arm range of motion though and its unilateral which is amazing to build symmetrical strength. You can assist with the leg that’s on the ground as needed.
I used to do ring pullups! We will get there again, too! Amazing exercise.
Not too keen on the rows though. Already have plenty on my plate and the program is geared towards my sport. Still a great lift nonetheless though for the back.
Not the best week in terms of working out. My sleep quality hasn’t been the best in recent days and it has affected my workouts. Also within the past couple of weeks my lower back has had a nagging pain. Nevertheless I managed to hit some PRs this week.
-Barbell Overhead Press 145x7
-Deadlift with a Hex Bar 340x10 (that was an AMRAP set)
-I was doing weighted dips but I have stalled on them so I switched to the Barbell bench press to switch it up and hit 205x7
-Barbell Front Squat 285x8
I have been adding some more conditioning work. Also @DankZedong talk about running reminded me that I had been slacking on it so I ran this week for the first time in a couple of months and it went better than expected. Stay active comrades.
